Hey All, Picked up what I believe to be an early/mid 1965 Vox AC30t today - I'm having a hell of a time finding out when it was made, but I'm not really sure what to look for, either. I do know it is grey panel w/ a rotary selector knob, has 3 top vents, Vox logo w/ line, 3 black handles mounted on top - not sure what else to look for. Some pics of the serial # and amp below - any help would be greatly appreciated! BT It's not completely original, but the speakers are Celestion Blues and the logo, tolex and grillcloth are all NOS from 1965 (!) hence the shiny, nice appearance.
The range reflects our tastes so you'll see an unusual mix of classic British and American amps from Vox, Marshall, Fender and Gibson alongside less-common fare from Selmer, Watkins/WEM, Ampeg, Supro etc.
Doesn't matter when it was made it's an awesome amp. Though to date it I'd look at the speaker, transformer and pot codes. The serial number should also help.
Google Vox serial numbers and you should be able to find a corresponding date on a list. Also things like the control panel layout and color should help date the Vox. I forget what means what, but they went from no Top Boost, to added Top Boost on the back, to a Top Boost on the control panel. They also swapped from a copper top to a grey top control panel. From the Vox Amplifier book by Jim Elyea, the only serial number range that matches yours is for the AC30 Super Twin circ 1965 to 1967. This is a twin however so that is confusing or possibly a bogus plate for the amp.
From page 527 however, it states ' By mid-1963, the model name started to be individually hand-stamped as A.C./30'. The 'T' stands for Treble model. So it could possibly be a 1963 through maybe 1966 based on the numbers there. As stated above, the transformer number, pot numbers, chassis number or speaker numbers, if they are all original, would help. The footswitch in your picture was introduced in 1963 but was possibly used up to 1965.
The Grey Etched and Filled paint job came out in 1964, that pretty much eliminates 1963 as the year. From the logo if that is original, it looks like the 1964 examples in the book. So here is my guess, its a 1964 amp with minimal changes to the circuit, that part looks legit. Someone found a plate form a Super Twin and put that on the amp.
Without more data, that is the best scenario I can come up with. I looked up the Albion transformer history and here is what I found. There is a history of Albions prior to 1963 however based on the paint comments above your amp is 64 or beyond and so I will relay what is known about that time period.
In May of 1964 the Albions reappeared in the line and dominated through August and were phased out in December of that year. After this time Woodens were dominate with only sporadic use of Albions or Parmekos as inventory ran out. Woodens were the main transformer through the end of the JMI era - paraphrased from the book.
So the amp is a mid to late 64 or possibly early 65. And thank you for your question, my very expensive VOX Amplifier book had been sitting gathering dust and it afforded an opportunity to clean it off and do some research. I paid $150 for this copy which is personally signed by Jim Elyea and is #478 of 1000 printed.
Marshall amplifiers made hard rock possible. While Fender and Vox amps have their place in moving electrified guitar forward, the creations of Jim Marshall fostered an entirely new sound and allowed guitarists to fill stadiums with it. Marshall amps had such precedent-setting wattage and tone that their history can hardly be separated from the history of rock itself. We recently wrote an article detailing that rich history (which you can read here), but for those simply looking to figure out how old their Marshall amp is, we offer this shortcut.
The guide below will help you quickly and clearly date Marshall amps and cabinets, without us waxing poetic about their influence. Before we begin, a few caveats:. Marshall model numbers look like years. If your amp says Model 1986 on the inside, that does not mean it was made in 1986. This is probably the biggest area of confusion when dating Marshall amps.
True serial numbers weren't really used by Marshall until July 1969, so specimens made prior to that can only be accurately dated to a fuzzy span of several years. All Marshall amps originally came with Celestion speakers, so in cases where the speakers are original, speaker date codes can be used to date earlier amps. Marshall cabinets didn't officially include serial numbers until October 1992. As a result, dating cabs can be more art than science. The best approach is to cross-reference the serial number with known features for the model during different eras and the personal account of previous owners.
Getting the correct year is one thing, but getting the story behind an amp is the fun part. The guide for that is much simpler: be nice, ask questions, offer beer. Sell Your Gear on Reverb Marshall Amps By Series If you have absolutely no idea whether your Marshall is old or new, a good place to start is the model name or series. This will give you an approximate idea of the era during which your amp was manufactured. It's also one more piece of evidence to pair with the serial number to corroborate the actual year. The first Marshall amps were made in England starting in 1962. Production has continued there uninterrupted through today, though some lower-priced models are now made in China, India or Korea, depending on the series.
Starting in July 1969, Marshall starting using official serial codes. They were initially broken down into three parts: the model code, the serial production number and the date code. Marshall used letters as a date code to represent year of production. It's important to note that, prior to 1984, this letter came last.
The letter B was skipped, as were the letters I, O and Q since they might be confused for numbers. Use the model codes and date codes below to determine the model and age of your amp. For example, the number S/A 8481 E tells us that this is 50W amp (S/A) made in 1973 (E), production number 8481.
Model Codes S/ or S/A 50W SL/ or SL/A 100W Super Lead SB/ or SB/A 100W Super Bass A/ or /A 200W T/ or T/A 50 W Tremolo ST/ or ST/A 100W Tremolo SP/ Super PA Date Codes 1969 - 1983 A July 1969 - Dec 1970 C 1971 D 1972 E 1973 F 1974 G 1975 H 1976 J 1977 K 1978 L 1979 M 1980 N 1981 P 1982 R 1983 Model Code-Date Code-Serial: 1984 - 1992 From January 1984 to September 1992, the three-part coding was used by Marshall but the date code letter was moved from the end to the middle. The same model codes from the previous section of this article still apply, although the model code 'RI' is also seen for reissues.
The additional date codes for this era are below. An example from this era might be SL/A X 10059.
This would indicate a 100W Super Lead (SL/A) built in 1989 (X), production number 10059. Date Codes 1984 - 1992 S 1984 T 1985 U 1986 V 1987 W 1988 X 1989 Y 1990 Z 1991 - 1992 Nine Digits On A Sticker: 1992 - 1997 Starting in October 1992, Marshall moved away from stamped metal plate serials and began using stickers with a xx-xxxxx-xx format serial and a bar code. Cabinets had serials at this point as well.
The sticker-based nine digit scheme lasted through July 1997. These serials are much easier to understand, as they don't include any model or date codes.
The first two numbers indicate the last two digits of the year of production. The middle five numbers indicate the production number. The last two numbers indicate the week of the year (01 - 52), out of 52 weeks. For example, the serial number 961002334 would tell us that this amp was made in 1996 (96), production number 10023, and it was made during the 34th (34) week of that year. Letter-Ten Digits-Letter: 1997 - Present Starting in August 1997, Marshall moved to their current serial number scheme, which is easier to understand and gives more information than previous schemes. These current serial numbers are arranged in a letter-ten digits-letter format (A-xxxx-xx-xxxx-A).
These are still found on stickers with a bar code on the back of the amp. The first letter indicates where the amp was manufactured (M for England, C for China, I for India, K for Korea).
The next four digits indicate the year of production (1998, etc.). The next two digits indicate the week of the year during which the amp was produced (01 - 52).
The next four digits indicate the production number. The final letter indicates the voltage setting (for use in different countries - see table below). For example, a serial number of M-20-B would indicate an amp made in England (M) in 2002 during the 38th week of the year, production number 1035, set up for use in the United States (B). Voltage Codes A 230 Volts (UK) B 120/60 Volts (US) C 220/50 Volts (Canada) D 105/50/60 Volts (Japan) E 220/60 Volts (Europe) F 130/60 Volts (Mexico) Z Speaker cabs (no voltage) Celestion Speaker Codes: 1963 - Present If the speakers in your Marshall cabinet or combo are original, they can provide another piece of evidence when determining the date of manufacture. As many cabinets did not have official serial numbers before 1992, this can be especially helpful in dating earlier specimens.
Marshall has always used Celestion speakers standard from the factory, and thankfully, Celestion has been very consistent in coding their speakers. There have been three coding schemes used by Celestion since Marshall's birth as a company, each using some combination of day, month and year.
Using the month and year codes below, and knowing what order they are in for different eras, you can easily decode a Celestion speaker's age. Example: In the mid '60s the order was day-month-year, so a code showing 13DL would indicate a speaker made on the 13th of April, 1966. The month codes below remained consistent from 1963 forward, but there have been several eras of year codes. Check the era below that applies to your speaker. Celestion Month Codes A January B February C March D April E May F June G July H August J September K October L November M December Celestion Year Codes: 1963 - 1967 During this four year stretch, Celestion speaker codes followed a day-month-year format. For example, a 12KM code would indicate a speaker made on the 12th of October (K) in 1967 (M).
See the year codes below through 1967. The year codes changed after this, so using other pieces of evidence to make sure you have pre-1968 speakers is important. If you have a speaker older than this, the year codes move backwards through the alphabet to A, which would be 1956.
H 1963 J 1964 K 1965 L 1966 M 1967 Celestion Year Codes: 1968 - 1991 During this era, Celestion speaker codes followed a month-year-day format. The year codes started over, with 1968 beginning at A. An example code from this era might be KQ11 - a speaker made in October (K) of 1982 (Q) on the 11th. N 2003 P 2004 Q 2005 R 2006 S 2007 T 2008 U 2009 V 2010 W 2011 X 2012 Caveats, Exceptions, Gratitude The serial number is one part of the puzzle when dating an amp, but cross-checking the originality of the different parts, including tubes, wiring, transformers, knobs, etc. Is just as important. If you're about to put down a hefty sum on a vintage Marshall, we strongly encourage you to consult multiple sources to determine the exact age and originality of the amp.
It should also be noted that there may be some signature models and limited editions that will vary slightly from the Marshall serial number formats described here, but in general, determining the year will be the same. We can hardly express enough how grateful we are for the hard work that the good folks at Vintage Marshall Amps website, Michael Doyle and Nick Bowcott, all of whom have done an immense amount of work to increase the accuracy and availability of information on Marshall amps.
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